What's better for flow, 2 Vortecs or Tunze Wavebox?

[burgerchow]

Need some advice. Want to add more flow in my 120. Thinking about replacing my 2 koralia 4's with either 2 Vortech mp40ws, or a Tunze wavebox. I've seen videos on youtube for both, and they both seem to make pretty good waves. I've got some softies, lps and sps.
Here's what I've got now. 120 display with oceanic 3 sump, quiet one 4000 return to 2 overflows. Using 2 koralia 4's for additional flow, but I seem to have a lot of dead spots still. Want the wave action to clean up the dead spots. Asthetically, the Vortechs probably go unnoticed more, as the wave box sits right in the tank.
Another option is to add 2 more koralias and spend the extra grand that I save on a good 1/4 hp chiller, but don't really like the look of a tank filled with big powerheads.

Anybody using the vortechs? Is the flow that much more widely dispersed as the manufacturer claims?

[fkshiu]

One thing that must be made clear is that the Tunze Wavebox is NOT meant for primary flow. It is designed for supplementary flow only. The appropriate competing Tunze product against the Vortec is the Stream2 line:
http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/tz-ts6ts24/Tunze+Turbelle+Stream+TS24+Pump+Kit+-+2+x+6105+Pump+%2B+7095+Multi+Controller.html

That being said, do you notice my Wavebox anywhere in this picture (ignore the little numbers)? Better yet, do you see any powerheads at all anywhere? :D
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c197/fkshiu/IMG_2167.jpg

Anyway, the whole Tunze vs Vortec debate is like Mercedes vs BMW - both companies make premium products and you will probably be happy either way. It often seems to come down to whether you want a lower profile in the tank or don't want to see wires hanging outside the tank. In other words, it depends on how your tank is set up and the room it's in.

[fishytime]

Two vortechs would be more versatile for you.....you would be able to generate waves with them, with the option to use them like a conventional power head.

[burgerchow]

One thing that must be made clear is that the Tunze Wavebox is NOT meant for primary flow. It is designed for supplementary flow only. The appropriate competing Tunze product against the Vortec is the Stream2 line:
http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/tz-ts6ts24/Tunze+Turbelle+Stream+TS24+Pump+Kit+-+2+x+6105+Pump+%2B+7095+Multi+Controller.html

That being said, do you notice my Wavebox anywhere in this picture (ignore the little numbers)? Better yet, do you see any powerheads at all anywhere? :D
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c197/fkshiu/IMG_2167.jpg

Anyway, the whole Tunze vs Vortec debate is like Mercedes vs BMW - both companies make premium products and you will probably be happy either way. It often seems to come down to whether you want a lower profile in the tank or don't want to see wires hanging outside the tank. In other words, it depends on how your tank is set up and the room it's in.


thanks Franklin. What are you using in your tank? Wow, your tank is gorgeous. Gives me a goal to aim for. With all the rock and corals you have, must be difficult to direct even flow through all areas. Are you using powerheads besides the wavebox?

Burger

[Stones]

I'm using 2 vortech MP40W's as well as a tunze wavebox in my 90 gallon. I much prefer the vortechs to the wavebox as the wavebox doesn't really do much when I turn the vortechs off. In a 6ft long tank, the standing wave produced from the wavebox is much more pronounced than it is in a 4ft tank. The vortechs on the other hand are very customizable as I can switch from many different wave settings.

A friend of mine was running one vortech MP40W set on the short pulse mode in his 120 gallon tank. It worked really well as the constant flow produced good water movement and then whenever it pulsed it really moved the detritus out of dead spots and generated a slight standing wave similar to the wavebox.

I'd definatley recommend the vortechs over the wavebox. Like the others have said before me, the wavebox is definately not designed for primary flow.

[burgerchow]

thanks for your opinions. I've made up my mind. I'm going with the vortechs. I think they'll give me more options.

[Skimmerking]

good choice the lagoon mode is my favorite...